The new format is called SD Express which adds PCI Express and NVMe interfaces to current SD cards. These changes allow cards to have their maximum transfer speed increased to 985MB/s and their maximum storage up to 128TB, up from a the current 2TB limit. 128TB cards would be referred to as SD Ultra Capacity (SDUC). The new SD Express format will however be brought to SDXC and SDHC cards as well and will be available in SD and micoSD sizes.

The SD Association says that SD Express cards could one day effectively replace SSD and HDD storage in laptops, "With SD Express we’re offering an entirely new level of memory card with faster protocols turning cards into a removable SSD," said Hiroyuki Sakamoto, SDA president.

SD Express cards could prove to be particularly useful for those in the photo and video industries, as they will be able to handle the transfer of large files, whether they be 8K videos or RAW images. In real-world terms, a 128TB card could be used to store in excess of 25 million songs, 25,000 HD movies or around 256 million photos.

While the SD Association says 128TB cards are possible, it may be some time before we see them come to market. Even if they do, make sure you start saving, as cards with a measly 512GB or 1TB of storage can cost hundreds.